Sensory Enhancer

Women casting a plaster mask on someone

Sensory Enhancer

Michelle Muhlbauer
ARC605 | Fall 2008

Students had to develop an apparatus in order to establish a relationship of enhancement and/or restriction of taste, smell, and auditory systems. An initial plaster cast was constructed of a specific classmate’s entire head. The cast was made using surgical grade plaster strips. The final cast was then used to provide detailed measurements and a template on which the apparatus could be constructed.

Two apparati were designed to be dependent on each other and respond to one another. Apparatus A restricted the senses of taste and smell, based on the principle that these two senses are interconnected and that what we perceive as taste actually comes from our sense of smell, and enhanced the auditory system by amplifying the perception of noises made in the mouth, and eliminating ambient noise. Apparatus B relied on the concept of inverting and delivering the experience of the partner’s apparatus on himself. Thus what the user did not smell, but ate, was channeled to the partner, as well as what he heard. The design was based on the concept of channeling the experience of one side to the other, generating an ambiguous perception of the senses.

Sensory wall & sensory confinement

3D model views of a wall with several layers of vertical openings

Sensory wall & sensory confinement

Alex Kwa
ARC605 | Fall 2008

Sensory Wall

Layers create the illusion for the wall. An exploration of one, two, three, and four layered walls determined how many are needed to create the illusion. This exploration revealed the need for further development of the wall with four layers. The wall allows the occupant(s) to perceive the space around them in an illusory way. It creates an illusion for the occupant(s), because it shifts their reference points. A challenging boundary condition and movement allow an interactive relationship between the two rooms. While viewing the sensory wall, one can slightly see into the other room. When a person in the neighboring room moves, it creates an ambiguous illusory moving image in the first room.

Sensory Confinement

Freedom Through Isolation is a philosophy that was developed in the beginning of the design process. Here the word freedom refers to safety. By creating the gap between each individual cell, the inmates cannot make contact among each other. Thus increasing the privacy for them to move inside the cell. The prison acts as a landmark or edge of an island, where at night, its string of towers light the waterways and urban surroundings. The tallest building has 10 floors. Those charged with less serious crimes are housed closest to the ground and those charged with crimes that are more serious are housed further away from the ground. The higher living units are more enclosed while rooms in lower levels are more open. A louver system directs the inmates to see only selected parts of the environment. Each individual cell is a 10′ x 10′ cube arranged in a grid.

 

 

Sensory enhancer

Women casting a plaster mask on someone

Sensory enhancer

Gregory Hess
ARC605 | Fall 2008

An apparatus was developed in order to establish a relationship of enhancement and/or restriction of taste, smell, and auditory systems. An initial plaster cast was constructed of a specific classmate’s entire head. The cast was made using surgical grade plaster strips. The final cast was then used to provide detailed measurements and a template on which the apparatus could be constructed.

The apparatus that was designed focused on the senses of TASTE and SMELL. Research shows that the senses of taste and smell are interconnected because 75% of what we as humans perceive as taste actually comes from our sense of smell. The apparatus was constructed in order to confuse (and therefore restrict) these two senses. The apparatus was designed to be utilized during food consumption. Both taste and smell, along with vision, are normally associated with this activity. It was therefore determined that the AUDITORY sense would be enhanced, principally because of its lack of influence on the sensory experience of eating.

Sensory wall & sensory confinement

Wooden model of a wall

Sensory wall & sensory confinement

Nicole White
ARC605 | Fall 2008

Sensory Wall :

The wall designed conforms to the pressure of the body by using wooden slats that act as flat panels for the body to rest against. The slats are connected using an elastic cord that makes them change position based on pressure. People can use both sides of the wall, while still having some visual privacy.

 

Sensory Confinement :

The design acts as both a prison and a park allowing prison to impact a community positively without negative consequences on the occupants. The prisoner is given a voice and allowed means of expression through moveable display boards where the prisoner can connect with the others. The display walls help serve many purposes within the prison and contribute to its flexibility. They rotate to form partitions in the prison’s public space and can be raised to create display areas in the park walkways. Those viewing the boards gain a better understanding of prison and the prisoner and perhaps gain a sense of emphaty.